Analysis Of Reyna Grande's The Distance Between Us

The greatest gift God has given each one of us is the gift of life. Each one of us is individually made by God and He is the one who writes our story. Not one single person on this planet has the same personal story from another and that is the beauty of life. Because every person experiences life in a different way we can learn from each other’s experiences. The cultural narrative that I choose to read was Reyna Grande’s The Distance Between Us. As I was reading this memoir, I noticed some similarities and some differences compared to my story. I am a white female born to Cheryl and Mark Johnson in the United States in Reno, Nevada. I come from an Irish and German background. I have a sister, Haylie, who is two years younger than I am. I
Meaning, my mother had her husband die, a funeral to plan, and a baby all in one week. My mother was broken. Later in life, she told me that the first time she was alone with me I was two months old because she couldn’t bear to look at me because I reminded her of my father. She also told me that my dad was supposed to play the “mom role” in our family because my mom wanted to work and my dad had always wanted children. Many of my mom’s friends and family members took care of me and my sister throughout our whole lives. My mother had many addiction issues that got way worse when my father passed away. When Reyna Grande was 2-years-old her father left his family behind in Mexico to go to the United States so he could earn more money to provide for his family and build his dream home back in Mexico (Grande, 2012). When Reyna was 4-years-old her mother joined her father in the United States leaving her and her siblings with their father’s mother Abuela Evila (Grande, 2012). Their cousin Elida lived with their grandmother as well because her mom was also in the United States (Grande, 2012). Their grandmother mistreated them on a daily basis as if they were a burden (Grande,
Often times we had very little food in the house, our electricity and water would be turn off, and we had to rely on neighbors for food, water, and to take a shower. Other times my mom would have me call my grandparents in California to wire us money so we could pay bills and buy groceries. My mom would send my sister and me to the store that was about less than a mile away and we had to walk through a small desert looking field where there were rabbits, lizards, and snakes. Often times, my sister and I would be sent outside to play and we weren’t supposed to come back until the sun went down. Reyna’s Grandmother did not have running water and she would make them fetch their own water from the well in order for them to bathe (Grande, 2012). Even through Reyna’s parents sent their grandmother money so she could feed and clothe them, very little of that money was spent on them (Grande, 2012). In fact, at every meal, Reyna and her siblings, were the last to eat and often times there was hardly any food left for them (Grande, 2012). Their grandmother also sent them to do Don Bartolo’s store to do errands like buying a soda for guest and buying a new needle (Grande, 2012).
My favorite memories as a kid were when my mom would win a free night at one of the big Casinos in the city. We would ride into the city at night and I could see all the twinkling lights from the big buildings and when we got to the hotel room we would beg